How Much Do You Know about Plastic?    

Humanity is using more and more plastics in the form of bottles every year. According to a news article published by the Christian Science Monitor, citing the Container Recycling Institute, in 1990 Americans bought 1.1 billion pounds of plastic, but in 2002, they bought more than three times that, 4 billion pounds! With our increasing use of plastic bottles to fill everything from water to drinks of all kinds and food, how much do we know about them and their safety? Are these plastic bottles safe enough for us to fill them with pure filtered water and drink from them?

What are these plastic bottles made of?

To answer this question, here is a list of most commonly used plastic containers and bottles:

•  #1 PET or PETE (polyethylene terephthalate)—This clear and tough plastic is often used in carbonated soft drinks (such as the 2-liter soda containers), juice, beer, mouthwash, peanut butter, salad dressing, and detergent and cleaner containers. Water is usually sold in #1 bottles not recommended for refills and considered for one-time use only. The problem with this type of plastics is that it leaches antimony trioxide, which has been shown to cause respiratory and skin irritation, menstrual problems and miscarriage in among, and slower mental development among children in the first 12 months of life, among other problems in people who have been exposed to this chemical over a long period of time. The longer a liquid is left in the #1 container, the higher the concentration of antimony trioxide released into the liquid.

•  #2 HDPE (high-density polyethylene)—Plastic containers in this category include Tupperware, laundry detergent bottles, shampoo bottles, milk jugs, juice bottles, water containers, yogurt and margarine tubs, cereal box lines, and generally harder and more opaque plastic bottles suitable for refills.

•  #3 PVC (polyvinyl chloride)—This type of plastics contains di-2-ethylhexyl phthalate (DEHP), an endocrine disruptor and a probably human carcinogen. Unfortunately, water pipes carrying municipal tap water into most American homes are made with PVC. Food wrappers (such as cling wrap), some squeeze bottles, shampoo bottles, cooking-oil jars, peanut-butter jars, detergent and window cleaner bottles, shower curtains, medical tubing, automotive parts (including the plastics panels that line the inside of cars), and most pipings and sidings in modern construction are made of PVC. Health advocates and researchers have described PVC as among the most dangerous and toxic consumer products ever manufactured. PVC will leak plasticiser and softeners DEHP and BBzP (buty benzyl phthalate) into food and water. Both DEHP and BBzP are endocrine disruptors that can mimic the human estrogen; they have been linked to asthma and allergies in children and certain types of cancers.

•  #4 LDPE (low-density polyethylene)—This type of plastics is characterized by clarity and flexibility. It is often used to make bottles and bags that require extra flexibility (such as six-pack soda-can rings, clear produce bags and grocery bags, garbage bags, shrink-and-stretch film, squeezable bottles of ketchup and honey, and coating for milk cartons).

•  #5 PP (polypropylene)—Plastics that have a high tensile strength, making it ideal in the manufacturing of caps and lids that hold tightly on to threaded openings. Consumers often see this category of plastics in ketchup and syrup bottles, yogurt containers, medicine bottles, syrup bottles (e.g., maple and cough syrup), straws, food containers, and other opaque plastic containers.

•  #6 PS (polystyrene)—Commonly used in Styrofoam containers (such as egg cartons, disposable cups and bowls, take-out food containers, plastic cutlery, and CD cases, this type of plastics may leach styrene, a possible endocrine disruptor and a cancer trigger, into food and water. Long-term exposure to styrene may trigger potential reproductive and developmental problems and people may suffer negative brain and nervous-system effects. When oily foods are heated in such polystyrene containers, styrene then leaches in large amounts from the containers into food.

•  #7 OTHER (containing Bisphenol-A, or BPA)—This category includes the controversial sports water bottles which are the hard, clear, colourful, light-weight, and unbreakable polycarbonate plastic bottles. In May 2008, the Canadian government restricted this type of plastics used in baby bottles. BPA is an ingredient in the production of polycarbonate plastics and as the epoxy resins that line the inside of most food and beverage cans. In addition to being used in food and water containers, BPA is also used in dental prosthetics and sealants. (Consumers take note: Food cans contain a plastic liner made with BPA, which has been known to leach into canned food. BPA has been shown to mimic human hormone, cause precancerous tumours, trigger urinary tract problems, a suspect in triggering breast cancer and prostate cancer, and accelerate aging by causing early puberty.) Worldwide 6.6 billion pounds of BPA is produced annually.

To avoid using plastic bottles and risking your health and the environment switch to ECOtanka Stainless Steel Bottles.